There's some shop-keeping tips and wisdom I've been thinking I should share with you. Quite a few of our readers are shop owners themselves, or sell items in a dealer-type store, or at seasonal event-type venues. And we get a lot of questions about how we go about owning a store that's only open 4 1/2 days a month. I decided every once in awhile I'll describe some of the different aspects of our business, in hopes that it will help some of you with yours.
The two-wheeler is an invaluable, back-saving resource. Having a college job in a warehouse is also an invaluable experience (though, not realized at the time). Whenever a piece of furniture has a solid bottom frame, wheeling it out to a customer's vehicle is so much easier with this handy tool. It's also easier to navigate out of a very full store, with customers weaving in and out. A towel or blanket can also be draped over the back for extra cushion, and to protect a fresh paint job.
A four-wheel mover's dolly is great for a larger piece of furniture. Large squares, such as banks of lockers, can be laid on their sides and wheeled right out the door. It might also be handy to fill in the center space with hard-wood boards for an even more solid foundation. This friend has been helping us for quite a few years, until we learned that two can sometimes be better than one...
We've recently learned that two smaller mover's dollies can easily slide under either end of a heavy, mid-century, long dresser. They are also perfectly sized to land under many legs, and if the spacing doesn't hit the carpet part exactly...
have a couple of thick, sturdy boards span the open area (and extend your landing zone). What's great about the two-is-better-than-one strategy, is that you can simply tip one end of the furniture item up and slide the rolly cart under, and then only have to lift the other end onto the 2nd cart.
Cheryl and I have been moving furniture together for many years. We always say it's easier to move items with each other than with our husbands. It's kind of like doubles partners in tennis. There's just a symbiotic energy that develops:)
We also move 2/3 of the furniture items around in the store every month, so we can get a fresh look for every Occasional.
Furniture sliders are the greatest thing in the world to us...besides having a gross floor that we don't have to worry about scratching. We weren't too impressed with the floor when we first opened; we envisioned a beautiful wood floor, or even a rustic wood floor. But practicality has won us over. Luckily, customers are so enraptured with all the beauty they see at eye level, they never notice our paint drips and scuff marks all over this not-so-lovely floor.
There are plenty of times we just need to use our muscles, too. Luckily, they've been trained by many hours of sanding, waxing, and carrying pieces out of estate sale basements.
Another heads up...when you're the person inside the vehicle, lifting the piece over those pesky little divits, make sure you are lifting with your arms, your legs and your core...not your back. That's when we've almost hurt our backs the most often. And then there's the time when my head almost got between the furniture and the wall of the horse trailer...
Oh, the adventures of store ownership! Do you have any questions for us? We'd love to try to answer...leave them in the comments section (you won't see it right away, so don't worry).
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